Peritoneal carcinomatosis is a condition characterized by the presence of multiple cancerous masses within the lining of the abdominal cavity. It is primarily caused by metastatic colorectal, ovarian, gastric, and appendicular cancers. Current treatments for peritoneal carcinomatosis include cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC). In this regimen, abdominal surgery is performed to remove visible masses. Subsequently, a heated chemotherapeutic solution, typically a chemotherapeutic agent and saline, is introduced into and circulated within the abdominal cavity to kill any remaining cancerous cells. Postoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (EPIC) can be performed following surgery, either in addition to or in place of the HIPEC procedure. A combination of CRS and HIPEC and/or EPIC can extend a patient's survival and recent studies suggest that repeated procedures may result in even greater survival benefits.
Repeat HIPEC and/or EPIC procedures are frequently complicated, unfortunately, by post-surgical formation of adhesions throughout the abdominal cavity. Adhesions are bands of fibrous tissue that begin forming between tissues and organs immediately following surgery. Adhesion formation is typically complete within a week, but the adhesions formed following a surgical procedure continue to become more dense and even become vascularized over months following surgery. The formation of adhesions following CRS can negatively impact the effectiveness of HIPEC and/or EPIC procedures because the adhesions can effectively mask abdominal tissue, blocking the chemotherapeutic solution from reaching all surfaces within the abdominal cavity. The adhesions can even hinder subsequent surgical procedures, including additional CRS procedures.
Widespread use of HIPEC and/or EPIC procedures has also been hindered by the lack of medical devices specifically designed and developed for these procedures. While conventional medical devices have been used in these procedures, they lack structure and function specifically tailored to the unique needs and demands of HIPEC/EPIC procedures.
A need remains, therefore, for new and useful intraperitoneal chemotherapy medical devices, kits, and methods.